Homemade Yogurt **Updated** Cheese and Buttermilk

[valmom]

OK, I finally bought a thermometer and actually made a batch yesterday.

It worked!! It's yogurt!

I am amazed- I don't think, in spite of what people have said, that I believed I could do it. It set up in 8 hours. And my SO (who is not terribly into DIY or "homesteading" type stuff- although the chickens are OK) was amazed that it was "real" yogurt. This may become my Sunday routine.

I put it in small jelly canning jars and I'm taking some to work along with my home made blueberry jam left from last year for breakfast.

(I admit- everyone is right! It doesn't taste like store bought yogurt.)

 

[ozark hen]

good job. It is wonderful isn't it?

 

[valmom]

Now on to cheese!! After more procrastinating. (It's my major fault)

 

[MissPrissy]

Yet another convert

Good job!

 

[ozark hen]

I love the responses from all of us after we say we could never do that and we actually do it and find out how easy it was to do. Not to mention how proud of myself I was when I discovered I could do it.

 

[MissPrissy]

How many times a week are you making yogurt OzarkHen? Has your DH gotten tired of it yet? LOL

 

[ozark hen]

to be honest... I made four quarts a week during the summer months and have slacked off now. I am trading milk for eggs with a local farmer...great deal!! But when the hens quit laying due to weather/moulting and I couldn't take him eggs I didn't pick up any milk. Now since the weather will be warming up...I keep my cooler on the porch...I will be getting milk again very soon. I still take him eggs but don't dip any milk out.

I use my porch and it is just too cool to chance it yet. I miss it though.

OH, and no dh will eat half a quart at one sitting. ha ha He is fit and trim.

 

[ChickenChaps]

I just found this site! WOW! I love it! I have had chickens for 5 years or so. I have 27 right now. I have 2 nigerian dwarf goats. They are due to have babies NEXT WEEK!! (March 25) This will be their third kiddings.

I have made motzerella and ricotta cheese a number of times, but have never made yogurt because I didnt think I would like it. After reading this thread, I MUST try it! I cant wait!

While reading this thread, I had some comments on some things....
You can make ricotta with the used whey - it is great stuff!

See this site for cheese recipes!
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/Cheese_course/Cheese_course.htm
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/CHEESE.HTML

I found them recipes to take a long time and found a source that was similar to the one posted by Miss Prissy. I have TONS of other goat milk recipes if anyone is interested.

I have made motzerella (and ricotta from the whey leftover) from frozen milk with fine results.

I use a sterilized hankerchief instead of cheese cloth because the cheese cloth I have found here is way too course and the cheese gets stuck in the fibers and wasted.

I strain my goat milk through coffee filters to get any debris out of it. No matter how careful I am, I still get a hair or so in it. But it is still plenty good for cheese! and I do not pasterize it before making cheeses.

when my motz flopped, it had the consistency of ricotta so I used it as ricotta in recipes, it was good!

I cant wait to make some yogurt!!

 

[valmom]

I really need to talk to the Jersey farmer down the road about some milk

Someone told me a rumour that he sells from his bulk tank.

Everyone at work got tired of hearing how good my yogurt was this morning- I took it in for breakfast.

 

[MissPrissy]

There are places for raw milk. Here is a link that you can search out people near you.

http://www.realmilk.com/why.html